God and MammonThe Selling of
God and the False Glamour of Riches
The Teachings According to the Gospels

"Ye cannot serve God
and mammon. Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth
your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in
the sight of God." ~Jesus, Gospel of the Holy Twelve

Luke 16:13 (NIV) "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate
the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the
other. You cannot serve both God and Mammon."

Beware of Materialism

Heb 13:5 (RSV) "Keep your life free from the love of money, and be
content with what you have."

Ps 37:7,16 (NAS) Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret
because of him who prospers in his way... Better is the little of the
righteous than the abundance of many wicked.

Prov 23:4-5 (NIV) Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to
show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will
surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.

1 Sam 2:7 (NIV) The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he
exalts.

Prov 30:8-9 (NIV) ...Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only
my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say,
"Who is the Lord?" Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor
the name of my God.

God For Sale

1 Thes 2:5 (Jer) ...Never at any time have our speeches been simply
flattery or a cover for trying to get money.

2 Cor 2:17 (NEB) At least we do not go hawking the word of God about,
as so many do...

2 Cor 2:17 (NIV) Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for
profit.

2 Cor 2:17 (LB) We are not like those hucksters--and there are many of
them--whose idea in getting out the Gospel is to make a good living out of
it.

1 Tim 6:5 (Phi) ...among men of warped minds who have lost their real
hold on the truth but hope to make some profit out of the Christian
religion.

1 Tim 6:5 (TEB) ...They think religion is a way to become rich.

1 Tim 6:5-9 (NIV) ...men, who have been robbed of the truth and who
think that godliness is a means to financial gain. But godliness with
contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we
can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be
content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a
trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin
and destruction.

1 Tim 6:10-12 (NIV) For the love of money is a root of all kinds of
evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and
pierced themselves through with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee
from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance
and gentleness.

By
Humble Means

Phil 4:11-13 (Phi) ...For I have learned to be content, whatever the
circumstances may be. I know now how to live when things are difficult and
I know how to live when things are prosperous. In general and in
particular I have learned the secret of eating well or going hungry--of
facing either plenty of poverty. I am ready for anything through the
strength of the One who lives within me.

Phil 4:12 (NAS) I know how to get along with humble means, and I also
know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have
learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having
abundance and suffering need.

Phil 4:12-13 (Jer) I know how to be poor and I know how to be rich too.
I have been through my initiation and now I am ready for anything
anywhere: full stomach or empty stomach, poverty or plenty. There is
nothing I cannot master with the help of the One who gives me strength.

The Eye of a Needle

Mark 10:21-27,31 (Jer) Jesus looked steadily at him and loved him, and
he said, "There is one thing you lack. Go and sell everything you own
and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come,
follow me." But his face fell at these words and he went away sad,
for he was a man of great wealth. Jesus looked around and said to his
disciples, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the
kingdom of God!" The disciples were astounded by these words, but
Jesus insisted, "My children," he said to them, "how hard
it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass
through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of
God." They were more astonished than ever. "In that case,"
they said to one another, "who can be saved?" Jesus gazed at
them. "For men," he said, "it is impossible, but not for
God: because everything is possible for God... Many who are first will be
last, and the last first."

Everything in Common

Acts 2:44-45 (Phi) All the believers joined together and shared
everything in common; they sold their possessions and goods and divided
the proceeds among the fellowship according to individual need.

Acts 4:32,34-35 (NIV) All the believers were one in heart and mind. No
one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared
everything they had... There were no needy persons among them. For from
time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money
from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to
anyone as he had need.

The Sense Of
Possessing

Luke 14:33 (Phi) "Only the man who says goodbye to all his
possessions can be my disciple."

Luke 14:33 (TEB) Concluded Jesus, "none of you can be my disciple
unless he gives up everything he has."

Luke 14:33 (RSV) "Whoever of you does not renounce all that he has
cannot be my disciple."

Luke 3:11 (NIV) John answered, "The man with two tunics should
share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the
same."

Luke 6:30 (Jer) "Give to everyone who asks you, and do not ask for
your property back from the man who robs you."

Who Will Trust You
With True Riches

Luke 16:9-11 (Phi) "Now my advice to you is to use 'money',
tainted as it is, to make yourselves friends, so that when it comes to an
end, they may welcome you into the houses of eternity. The man who is
faithful in the little things will be faithful in the big things. So that
if you are not fit to be trusted to deal with the wicked wealth of this
world, who will trust you with true riches?"

Luke 16:9-12 (NIV) "I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends
for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal
dwellings... If you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth,
who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy
with someone else's property, who will give you property of your
own?"

Luke 14:12-14 (NIV) "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not
invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors;
if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when
you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,
and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be
repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

God or Mammon?

Mat 6:24 (NIV) "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate
the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise
the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."

Luke 12:33 (NIV) "Sell your possessions and give to the poor...
"

You Can't Take it With
You

Luke 12:15-21 (Phi) ..."Be on your guard against covetousness in
any shape or form. For a man's real life in no way depends upon the number
of his possessions... A rich man's farmland produced heavy crops. So he
said to himself, 'What shall I do, for I have no room to store this
harvest of mine?' Then he said, 'I know what I'll do. I'll pull down my
barns and build bigger ones where I can store all my grain and my goods
and I can say to my soul, Soul, you have plenty of good things stored up
there for years to come. Relax! Eat, drink, and have a good time!' But God
said to him, 'You fool, this very night you will be asked for YOUR
SOUL!...' That is what happens to the man who hoards things for himself
and is not rich in the eyes of God."

Luke 16:19-31 (NIV) "There was a rich man who was dressed in
purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid
a beggar named Lazarus... The beggar died and angels carried him to
Abraham's side. The rich man also died... In hell, where he was in
torment, he looked up... 'I am in agony in this fire.' But Abraham
replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good
things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here
and you are in agony...' 'Then I beg you... I have five brothers... warn
them so that they will not come to this place of torment.' 'They have
Moses and the Prophets, let them listen to them.'"

Ps 49:16-19 (NIV) Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the
splendor of his house increases; for he will take nothing with him when he
dies, his splendor will not descend with him. Though while he lived he
counted himself blessed--and men praise you when you prosper--he will join
the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light of life.

Whosoever Trusts in
Riches Will Fall

Ecc 5:10-15 (NIV) Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves
wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. As
goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to
the owner except to feast his eyes on them? The sleep of a laborer is
sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man
permits him no sleep. I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth
hoarded to the harm of its owner, or wealth lost through some
misfortune... Naked a man comes from his mothers womb, and as he comes, so
he departs...

Prov 11:4,28 (NIV) Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but
righteousness delivers from death... Whoever trusts in his riches will
fall...

Wealth, a Sin to be
Judged

Job 31:24-25,28 (NIV) [Job:] "If I have put my trust in gold or
said to pure gold, 'You are my security,' if I have rejoiced over my great
wealth, the fortune my hands had gained... then these also would be sins
to be judged, for I would have been unfaithful to God on high."

Eze 28:2-10 (NAS) ..."Thus says the Lord God, 'Because your heart
is lifted up and you have said, 'I am a God...' yet you are a man and not
God, although you make your heart like the heart of God... You have
acquired riches for yourself... and your heart is lifted up because of
your riches--Therefore, behold, I will bring strangers upon you... and
they will draw their swords... and defile your splendor... and you will
die... Will you still say, 'I am a god,' in the presence of your slayer,
although you are a man and not God, in the hands of those who wound
you?'"

The Nobility of
Poverty

Matt 5:3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.

James 1:9-11 (Jer) It is right for the poor brother to be proud of his
high rank, and the rich one to be thankful that he has been humbled,
because riches last no longer than the flowers in the grass; the scorching
sun comes up, and the grass withers, the flower falls; what looked so
beautiful now disappears. It is the same with the rich man: his business
goes on; he himself perishes.

James 1:9-11 (Phi) The brother who is in need may be proud because God
has raised him to the true riches. The rich may be proud that God has
shown him his spiritual poverty... Just as surely will the rich man and
his ways fall into the blight of decay.

The Glamour of False
Riches

Mark 4:18-19 (Phi) "Then there are the seeds which were sown among
the thorn bushes. These are the people who hear the message, but the
worries of this world and the false glamour of riches and all sorts of
other ambitions creep in and choke the life out of what they have heard,
and it produces no crop in their lives."

Luke 8:14 (Phi) "And the seed sown among the thorns represents the
people who hear the message and go on their way, and with the worries and
riches and pleasures of living, the life is choked out of them, and in the
end they produce nothing."

Luke 9:25 (NIV) "What good is it for a man to gain the whole
world, yet lose or forfeit his very self?"

Making Yourself Fat
for the Day of Slaughter

1 Cor 4:8-21 (NIV) Already you have all you want! Already you have
become rich! You have become kings--and that without us! How I wish you
really had become kings so that we might be kings with you!.. We are fools
for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are
strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! To this very hour we go hungry
and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless...
Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the
world. I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you, as my dear
children... I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then
I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what
power they have. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of
power. What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with punishment, or in love
and with a gentle spirit?

James 5:1-3,5 (TEB) And now, you rich people [see James 2:2-7], listen
to me! Weep and wail over the miseries that are coming upon you! Your
riches have rotted away, and your clothes have been eaten by moths. Your
gold and silver are covered with rust, and this rust will be a witness
against you, and eat up your flesh like fire. You have piled up riches in
these last days... Your life here on earth has been full of luxury and
pleasure. You have made yourselves fat for the day of slaughter.

Jer 5:27-29 (NIV) ..."They have become rich and powerful and have
grown fat and sleek... they do not plead the case of the fatherless to win
it, they do not defend the rights of the poor. Should I not punish them
for this?" declares the Lord.

Invest in the
Life to Come

Mat 6:19-21 (TEB) "Do not save riches for yourselves here on earth,
where moths and rust destroy, and robbers break in and steal. Instead, save
riches for yourselves in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and
robbers cannot break in and steal. For your heart will always be where your
riches are."

1 Tim 6:17-19 (Phi) Tell those who are rich in this present world not
to be contemptuous of others, and not to rest the weight of their
confidence on the transitory power of wealth but on the living God, who
generously gives us everything for our enjoyment. Tell them to do good, to
be rich in kindly actions, to be ready to give to others and to sympathize
with those in distress. Their security should be invested in the life to
come, so that they may be sure of holding a share in the life which is
real and permanent.

Luke 12:29-34 (Phi) "You must not set your heart on what you eat
or drink, nor must you live in a state of anxiety. The whole heathen world
is busy about getting food and drink, and your Father knows well enough
that you need such things. No, set your heart on his kingdom, and your
food and drink will come as a matter of course... Sell your possessions
and give the money away to those in need. Get yourselves purses that never
grow old, inexhaustible treasure in Heaven, where no thief can ever reach
it, or moth destroy it. For where your treasure is, you may be certain
that your heart will be there too!"

1 Tim 6:8-10 (Phi) Surely then, as far as physical things are
concerned, it is sufficient for us to keep our bodies fed and clothed. For
men who set their hearts on being wealthy expose themselves to temptation.
They fall into a trap and lay themselves open to all sorts of silly and
wicked desires, which are quite capable of utterly ruining and destroying
their souls. For loving money leads to all kinds of evil, and some men in
the struggle to be rich have lost their faith and caused themselves untold
agonies of mind.

Jer 9:23-24 (NAS) Thus says the Lord, "Let not a wise man boast of
his wisdom... let not a rich man boast of his riches, but let him who
boasts boast about this, that he understands and knows Me... "

1 Jn 3:16-18 (Phi) But as
for the well-to-do man who sees his brother in want but shuts his heart
against him, how could anyone believe that the love of God lives in him?
My Children, let us love not merely in theory or in words--let us love in
sincerity and in practice! (2 Cor 8:9)

Luke 12:47-48 (NIV) "That servant who knows his master's will and
does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten
with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving
punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given
much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with
much, much more will be asked."

Prov 28:20 (NIV) The faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager
to get rich will not go unpunished.

Rev 3:17-19 (Phi) [Jesus] "While you say, 'I am rich, I have
prospered, and there is nothing that I need,' you have no eyes to see that
you are wretched, pitiable, poverty-stricken, blind and naked. My advice
to you is to buy from me that gold which is refined in the furnace so that
you may be rich, and white garments to wear so that you may hide the shame
of your nakedness, and salve to put on your eyes to make you see. All
those whom I love I correct and discipline. Therefore, shake off your
complacency and repent."